Latest science news in Earth & Climate
BP says oil spill cost up to $8bn
BP says the cost of its Gulf of Mexico oil spill has risen to $8bn - a rise of more than $2bn in the last month alone.
Ancient Australian reef raises hopes for coral as seas warm
Australian scientists Thursday said they had discovered a sprawling ancient reef in chilly southern waters which could hold new hope for the future of coral as sea temperatures rise.
Snail mail beats telephones in home survey
DALLAS, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- A letter with a stamp -- old fashioned "snail mail" -- may help officials struggling to stop overfishing of U.S. coastal waters, researchers say. ...
Letters: Still wary of Bjørn Lomborg's pronouncements on climate change
Bjørn Lomborg's change of mind on climate change is welcome, and some of his suggestions good, but your glowing review of his new book failed to examine deeply his shift in position...
Europe adopts sea protection measures
BRUSSELS, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Revisions may be needed to a measure adopted in Europe on marine biodiversity if the union is to meet environmental goals, the European Commission...
Europe saying goodbye to the light bulb
BRUSSELS, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Wednesday marks the end for the 75-watt incandescent light bulb for European consumers, the European Parliament announced. ...
High-speed filter uses electrified nanostructures to purify water at low cost
By dipping plain cotton cloth in a high-tech broth full of silver nanowires and carbon nanotubes, Stanford researchers have developed a new high-speed, low-cost filter that could easily be implemented...
Marine animals suggest evidence for a trans-Antarctic seaway
A tiny marine filter-feeder, that anchors itself to the sea bed, offers new clues to scientists studying the stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet – a region that is...
New study suggests migration does not bring happiness
The grass might not be greener on the other side of the border, a new study from the University of Leicester has found. Economic migrants travelling to different shores for...
Alberta oil sands under academic scrutiny
CALGARY, Alberta, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- There is a significant risk to the environment tied to the exploitation of oil sands found in Canada's Alberta province, a study shows. ...
Cleaning the Chesapeake Bay from space
(PhysOrg.com) -- A pilot test of an innovative use of new remote sensing technologies to aid the Chesapeake Bay cleanup begins this year in Talbot County, Md., on the Bay's...
Impact hypothesis loses its sparkle
About 12,900 years ago, a sudden cold snap interrupted the gradual warming that had followed the last Ice Age. The cold lasted for the 1,300-year interval known as the Younger...
Gulf beaches deemed safe for sea turtle hatchlings
The effort to move turtle nests away from damaged beaches has ended as oil disappears from the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. More than 13,000 baby turtles have hatched...
Climate change: The facts of life | Editorial
Political action seems again improbable, but it remains more urgent than everClimate change now reveals itself on a weekly basis. Scientists this month identified a colony of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which carries...
On Our Radar: A Biofuels Land Grab
The European Union's biofuels targets are driving a massive "land grab" in Africa, a conservation group claims.
Story tips from the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, September 2010
GEOLOGY -- Penetrating pores . . . Using neutron scattering to examine rock formations in Texas, Wisconsin and other parts of the country, Larry Anovitz, David Cole and Gernot...
And You Thought Radiation Was a Problem for Nuclear Plants?
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission proposes a fine against an unlikely violator: a coal plant.
AGU Journal highlights — Aug. 30, 2010
The following highlights summarize research papers that have been recently published in Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres (JGR-D), Water Resources Research (WRR), and Geophysical Research...
Chemtura Resolves Butter Flavor Cases
Litigation: Another hindrance to firm's emergence from bankruptcy reorganization is removed.
CBI to host climate change 'clash of the titans' debate
Former government chief scientist Sir David King, in the green corner, to take on arch-sceptic Lord Lawson in public showdownThe most prominent climate sceptic and the most vocal advocate of the cause in...
Cool It: Lombard's missing questions | Howard Friel
Bjørn Lomborg's 'solutions' to climate change still don't address the real issue of CO2 warming the planetFor the last 40 years the American scholar and war critic Noam Chomsky has argued that...
Calif. hit by 'nuisance' algae in rivers
SACRAMENTO, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Scientists say they don't know why a "yucky" kind of algae is fouling a stretch of a California river to the displeasure of swimmers...
The Moon puts on camo
A new geologic map of the moon's Schrodinger basin paints an instant, camouflage-colored portrait of what a mash-up the moon's surface is after eons of violent events. The geologic record...
Observatory: Geography Has a Hand in Lizards’ Gestation
Eastern fence lizards in northern climates tend to hatch faster than lizards in southern climates, the researchers found.
Judge Blocks Virginia's Request for Global Warming Records
A county circuit court judge today quashed a subpoena issued by Virginia Attorney General...
PBDEs Shift Marine Worm Dynamics
Persistent Pollutants: Flame retardants in ocean sediments benefit some worm species, but hinder others.
Scientists find new invasive fresh water clam species in Lake George
(PhysOrg.com) -- The new species (Corbicula fluminea) was located in the Village of Lake George and poses a serious threat to native mussels and the Lake George ecosystem, according to...
Several dead in clashes in North Caucasus
MOSCOW, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Seven militants set off suicide devices during clashes with police in the home village of the Chechen president, a regional investigator said. ...